Transportation Interview
"In the Future, We Will Have Cars that Can Be Electronically Updated"
Interview with Burkhard Göschel
Dr. Burkhard Göschel, 56, is the Member of the BMW AG Board of Management who is responsible for Development and Purchasing. A mechanical engineer by training, he joined BMW 24 years ago and has worked in a wide range of areas at the company. Initially employed in engine development, he then served as head of Motorcycle Development, manager of the Roadster Project, director of the Special Models Series, and head of Complete Vehicle Development. He was appointed to the Board of Management in 2000
Information and communications technologies are penetrating more and more areas of our lives. What role will these technologies play in automobiles over the next 10 to 15 years?
The automobile continues to be the number one driving force behind technological progress and innovation. As such, it also plays a decisive role in the advances made in information and communications technology. That's the lesson behind the technological revolution we are experiencing todayin other words, the triumphant march of electronics coupled with the transition from hardware to software. The automotive industry is by no means a passive observer of this trend. On the contrary, it is clearly the source of much important momentumas one can clearly see with the new BMW 7 Series. Today, our innovations have taken us more and more into the realm of software, including areas such as virtual vehicle development and technologies like ConnectedDrive and even drive-by-wire.
What's behind these concepts? And how does BMW intend to go about developing the multimedia, networked car of the future?
The answer's already contained in the question. The magic word here is networked. Developing the multimedia car of the future means using intelligent networks to link up all relevant areas. Our ConnectedDrive project, for example, involves taking a new and all-encompassing look at the interaction between the driver, the vehicle and the surrounding world. We used to look at these factors separately. But today, the driver is fully integrated within the complex system of vehicle control.
Can you give us an example of what you mean here?
In the new BMW 7 Series, the driver is connected to the outside world via Web-based services. That means he or she can call up the latest news or obtain information about restaurants, hotels, pharmacies and, in the near future, available parking, as well. Drivers can then feed this data into the onboard navigation system at the press of a button. Linking up these online services with the car's navigation system creates a decisive benefit for the driver. Or take another example: The development of new driver-assistance systems, which are networked on both an internal level with telematics functions as well as externally with other road users. This gives us an opportunity to create completely new types of features. Our engineers are now developing systems that will enable vehicles to communicate directly with one another and exchange information on things like traffic flow and road and weather conditions. In other words, it will be possible to transmit such things as warnings about localized dangers such as fog banks or black ice quickly and precisely.
It sounds as if the car of the future will be more and more like a computer on wheels. Would it make sense to give vehicles their own Internet address?
We have already unveiled two research vehicles featuring their own Internet addresses. As a result, they can be accessed via the Web using a PC, PDA or cell phone. This makes it possible to remotely control a whole range of vehicle functions in these two prototypesa BMW X5 and a BMW 740ifrom anywhere in the world. For example, you can open and close the doors and windows, switch the lights on and off, and even check things like the oil level. The big benefit for drivers here would be that they could check at any time and from anywhere whether the vehicle was properly locked or whether the windows were fully closed if it should happen to rain. They would also be able to import telephone numbers into the car telephone or addresses into the navigation system, regardless of where in the world they happened to be at that particular time.
This application also paves the way for numerous other new vehicle services. Using the navigation system, for example, it would be possible for the vehicle to communicate its precise position. And if the customer so desired, the dealer could even conduct a service check or make software-based repairs via the Internet.
What technological hurdles remain to be overcome before we can arrive at the future you have described?
The future as I've described it has already arrived at BMW with the introduction of the new 7 Series featuring online-based services. And the fact that our two research vehicles with their own Internet addresses are fully functional shows that we've already cleared all the technological hurdles in this area as well. The biggest challenge facing the automotive industry now is to keep pace with the breathtaking speed of innovation in the telecommunications and computer sectors. The vital issue here is to make sure that we create standards that will enable the customer to update onboard software and thereby install new functions in the vehicle as such functions become available. We've already taken the first steps in this direction. In our vehicles today, customers are able to install new software for equipment such as the onboard monitor and the navigation system. As a matter of fact, this can be done for a range of functions in the new 7 Series. In the future, we will thus have cars that can be electronically updated.
"ConnectedDrive" is the name of a BMW project aimed at increasing the degree of networking between the driver, the vehicle and the environment. For example, the iDrive system in the new BMW 7 Series offers a wide range of functions (above). Not only can the radio, CD and cell phone be centrally managed, but e-mails can be sent and received, and stock prices and weather reports called up. In the future, drivers will be able to use an Internet portal to find parking places, which can be entered into the navigation system
Do you expect individual regions around the world to develop differentlyor is the trend toward intelligent vehicles and highways the same for Europe, Asia and North and South America?
Developments that occur in the automotive industry are by no means limited to specific countries or regions around the world. At BMW, we develop our cars for the world market, and we also sell our vehicles throughout the world. As a result, our customers around the globe are all able to benefit from exactly the same technology and make the most of the same innovations. The international research and technology network of the BMW Group, which operates technology centers not only in Germany but also in countries such as the United States and Japan, enables us to pick up on new technologies as soon as possible and exploit them for the benefit of our customers. For example, just consider the controller in the iDrive control and display system installed in the new 7 Series. The basic ideas behind this development originated in our Palo Alto Technology Office in Silicon Valley. Engineers in our Munich Research and Innovation Center then developed this innovation to the point that it could enter large-scale production.
In a few years, vehicles may well be equipped with their own Internet address. Drivers could then use a mobile phone from anywhere in the world to check if, for example, the car windows are closed. It would also be possible to load addresses directly into the navigation system or transfer important vehicle data. Even a service checkup via Internet could one day become reality. After all, these applications have already been tested on research vehicles
What's the political climate like for the automotive industry at the moment? Are there any legislative obstacles hampering future developments?
In my opinion, there aren't really any legal or political barriers in the way of developing intelligent, networked vehicles. Of course, all new vehicles must obtain the appropriate authorizations. And in the case of new technologies, the first task is to establish a legal framework within which they can then be issued a permit. That's completely normal, but there are no special legislative obstacles in the way of the technologies and innovations we're talking about here.
Interview conducted by Ulrich Eberl